Crews close to containing fires

PRIEST LAKE — Firefighters took advantage of the recent cooler temperatures to gain significant ground on the two main fires burning near Priest Lake.

Containment at the Granite Fire has grown to 90 percent and crews have the Blacktail Fire all the way “boxed in” at 100 percent containment.

“Cooler temperatures and high humidity allowed firefighters to make steady gains on fire containment,” said Jill Cobb, information officer for the Rodney Weeks, Type 3 Northern Idaho Incident Management Team. “We anticipate some thunderstorms with lightning and a little rain today (Monday) and Tuesday with gradual warming through the week.”

Doppler radar showed a thunderstorm hitting Priest River Monday afternoon and moving Northeast at 25 miles per hour with half-inch hail and winds in excess of 30 miles per hour.

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